11 April 2007
A 50 year old man appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court today,
Wednesday, on charges of impersonating Labour Inspectors. Johan Van Staden's
appearance occurred just weeks after the Labour Department's public warning on
similar incidents of bogus inspectors extorting money from unsuspecting
business owners in the East Rand area.
Van Staden, who is considered a mastermind behind many such incidents was
not asked to plead and is facing multiple fraud charges following his arrest
last month by labour inspectors after a tip off from members of the public in
Pretoria North.
At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly in possession of three receipt
books containing records of amounts that had been paid to him between 1997 and
earlier this year. According to the receipts, Van Staden received between R50
and R1 200 to assist employers with the registration of employees for
Compensation of Injury on Duty and the Unemployment Insurance Fund under the
pretext he was a labour inspector. The charge sheet alleges that Van Staden
threatened "arrest" to all those who refused to co-operate.
Labour Department's Spokesperson Zolisa Sigabi described the arrest of Van
Staden as "a major breakthrough in the problematic fight against bogus
inspectors." She called on employers to work closely with labour inspectors and
law enforcement agencies to close down on fraudsters who masquerade as labour
inspectors. Sigabi warned employers to comply with labour laws so as to avoid
rendering themselves vulnerable to bogus inspectors.
The case was postponed to 21 May this year for further investigations and
Van Staden is out on bail.
Enquiries:
Zolisa Sigabi
Cell: 082 906 3878
Issued by: Department of Labour
11 April 2007
